Functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and of the urinary bladder which include irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, gastroparesis, urinary and fecal incontinence affect a large number of people. These disorders are sometimes associated with abnormal contractility and motility of the affected organ. Various disorders of the gastrointestinal tract including tumors, ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis that result in organic changes are sometimes diagnosed using endoscopy, imaging, analysis of serum samples for biomarkers and by biopsy examination. However, functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract such as irritable bowel syndrome are mostly diagnosed based on symptoms and most importantly, based on exclusion of organic diseases. Confirmatory tests like scintigraphy and manometry can be useful tools for such purposes.
In addition to the dysfunction of the primary organs, the gastrointestinal tract and urinary bladder, functional disorders are also associated with disorders of other organ systems. For example, gastroparesis can occur in a significant number of diabetes patients due to peripheral neuropathy. Similarly, psychological abnormalities and susceptibility to stress has been reported to be associated with the development of irritable bowel syndrome, constipation and hyperactivity of the bladder such as urinary incontinence.
Very limited diagnostic and treatment options that can provide an easy diagnosis and long term relief are available at present for people with functional disorders. As a result, the cost of diagnosing and treating functional disorders can be significant. There is a need for an integrative approach to diagnose and treat various functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract.
Other features of the present embodiments will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed description that follows.